Monday, October 27, 2014

meal planning for the non domestic + the first giveaway!

By now it shouldn't be a secret that I am not super domestic.

Let's not even pretend that I actually cook dinner every night.

And reality is that if I could, I would eat out every meal.

But that is neither realistic for my wallet or waistline.

But what I can do is follow a good Pinterst recipe and make a mean shopping list when given the proper planning time. And let's be clear that "proper planning" time consists of peeling my lazy self off the couch on Sunday afternoons and actually doing something with my life.

I do find that we are most successful cooking at home when we actually have some sort of meal game plan and get most of the shopping done before Monday rolls around. We do wait and buy all of our Fresh Market stuff on Tuesdays because that is their sale day and boy is it a good one for chicken breasts!

 And nothing helps me more than my trusty May Designs Meal Planner Notebook.


This thing is a life saver and has become by best little bud on Sundays.  And please excuse her appearance, I literally use it all the time so she gets a lot of love and purse time.


The ample space for grocery lists and general notes also makes this the perfect weekend notebook. I have been known to have separate lists for Target, Trader Joes, Fresh Market, Costco and the normal grocery store all on one page. I'm nuts, I know - drives my husband nuts too! 


I love nothing more than sippin on hot coffee, purusing Pinterest for meal inspirations and filling out my weekly meal plan. It is so nice to lay the week out before Monday, just to get an idea of what's ahead. Makes me ready to tackle almost anything and not worry about scrambling for dinner ideas.

Speaking of meal ideas, here is what our meal plan looks likes for this week.

{Monday}  
grilled chicken breasts and couscous salad 
(I followed this recipe  and subbed out the chickpeas for couscous since Reid not a huge fan)

{Tuesday}
marinated london broil and a huge chopped salad

{Wednesday}
crock-pot chicken noodle soup
(I am trying out this recipe here)

{Thursday}
left over night - by this time of the week we normally have a ton of stuff left over in the fridge that either needs to get tossed or eaten by Reid. I normally opt for a bowl of kids sugar cereal.

{Friday}
dine out!

{Saturday and Sunday}
We normally make it up as we go along and crock pot something on Sunday to munch on all day.
I am thinking maybe this oldie but goodie.
It is seriously one of my all time favorite recipes and it could not be any easier!

None of these recipes are fancy at all or take more than a moments thought to put together. That is another tick I have learned in my quest to be more domestic. Leave the hard stuff to the weekends when you have more time to prep and clean up!

So....
Now it is your turn.
Surprise! 

I am thrilled to be giving away an amazing May Designs notebook to one of my sweet readers!
I could not think of a better company to link up with for my very first give away on Virginia Sweet. I am truly such a fan and personally love to use their fabulous products. Their notebooks and stationary also make great gifts and I am so in love with their Christmas cards. Not only are their designs gorgeous, but they are so eco-friendly and super durable. The combinations of patterns and monograms are endless and I am almost positive you will not be able to leave their website without ordering one or two percious items. Make sure to check them out online, on FB and on insta.

Good luck loves!


The giveaway will be up for a week and you can come back any time you like!

A special thanks to Biana, and Meghan for hosting their wonderful linkup! 

Have a great Monday y'all!

xoxo,

CAD

*Please note that all opinions are my own - duh - and my love for May Designs is 100% honest and real. They truly are a pleasure to work with and a wonderful product*

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25 comments:

  1. I am envious of your ability to plan out meals on a Sunday! That usually happens Monday mornings at work for me (oops!) & ends up requiring a quick run to the grocery store during lunch so I have something for dinner.

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  2. That meal planner is such a great idea! I try to plan out all my meals on Sunday but it never works!

    <3, Pamela
    sequinsandseabreezes.blogspot.com

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  3. cute giveaway! i love the meal planner option :) my favorite design is the watercolor soft skies! xo jillian - cornflake dreams

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  4. Love the idea of a cute little planner to meal plan! I feel like I end up making the same five things week in week out and should definitely take a little time to think of new things and write them out. Fun giveaway too!! :)

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  5. I always love reading how others meal plan - we have a meal planner as well but a notebook is a great option!! Thanks for hosting the giveaway - I'd probably get a meal planner too!

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  6. I agree... Love hearing others meal plans. Gives me motivation to mix things up. We try to create a rough plan on Sundays and use a white board we have. Like the idea of the book too that way you can refer back.

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  7. This is so great! I really got into meal planning before the hubs transferred so when he gets back I plan to do it again! Maybooks are so fabulous and I didn't even think to use them for meal planning- great idea! Happy Monday! xoxo

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  8. What a great idea! I'm trying to meal plan more often and I think having a cute book to tote around would definitely help!

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  9. I'm the same way about meal planning, it's great when I finally get myself to do it! And you're speaking my language with different lists for different stores. I so do that. haha! I love all of the watercolor designs, so pretty!

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  10. LOVEEEEEEE!!! I love May Desgins -- I have the calendar now! :)
    I am a huge fan of the mint hearts! SWOON! xx

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  11. I have only just started meal planning, I successfully did one week and it was the best thing ever - I haven't done it since because we need to go to costco to get some meat lol. I am partial to 'simple' recipes, my husband and I are both picky but about different things, so its hard to find things that work for both of us. I totally think the meal planner notebook would help me, I so want it! I have seen these notebooks around a bunch and I always come back to the gray Moroccan lattice, i would totally get that one!

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  12. Such a great idea! We end up going to the grocery like 3 times a week because of my lack of planning ahead.

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  13. Oh this is fantastic! I typically cook dinner a few times a week and this is perfect for planning! I never have exactly what I need!

    Caitlin Cleland
    www.thefetchingfox.com

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  14. Ok, I'm seriously obsessed with that meal planner!! That is the cutest damn thing and I think I might actually keep up my meal planning if I had something so pretty :) Thanks for sharing and hosting!!

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  15. I love this! I just tried to start planning our meals out on Sundays, the week I did it it was a great success. But I have been using excel and its ugly and I like paper!!

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  16. I love ALL the pink designs, but the watercolor ones are really beautiful, too. I am sad to say that my "meal planning" is done in a running note on my iPhone... this looks like a beautiful new solution. :)

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  17. I absolutely LOVE that meal planner - I have got to get one of those!! I waste so much paper making up lists and losing them!

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  18. I love May books and that meal planner is a huge need! Their pink and navy combo in the greek key makes me so happy!

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  19. Yayy for your first giveaway! I am so proud of you! You know I just love a fab notebook, and there is nothing better than flipping through my real life cookbooks on Sundays just to search for the perfect recipes for the following week! Love you! xoxo

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  20. Meal planning is seriously one of the things I am so terrible about but that planner would totally help it's perfect!!

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  21. i love my may books planner, address book and coloring book for my daughter! love the morrocan lattice teal!

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  22. Yay! This is soo cute! I think I need one for JL alone

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  23. I love the Tea Collection Painted Floral

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  24. My favorite color combo is blue and yellow

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